Ophidian Zero / Brian Said
Week 8 - 7th April 2005
By Sharkey

Well I’m back again to give my usual full fledged, no holds barred review into this weeks battle of the bands. Big thanks to Jo the Mofo for doing the camera work and usual job of harassing the crowd. Anyway…

Ophidian Zero - Needless to say the leads singer’s hair was amazing, top marks for that and the sheer amount of piercing she had in her face was interesting too. I'm just glad I didn’t have anything magnetic on me. There was a half inspired attempt to get the crowd clapping whilst the guitarist got himself sorted out (a bit late I must say) which unfortunately the crowd wasn’t motivated enough to participate (or just staring at that hair, amazing). One they got started however, we were in for an experience…

This band is a four piece from Norwich , currently residing in the cities hardcore/metal scene. They are very scream orientated, the lead singers looks giving nothing away about her screaming capabilities. She is an excellent screamer but the one thing puzzled me about it, she hardly put in any effort into screaming, unlike most other scream orientated bands they seemed to have to burst a lung to get the right sound. Although there were times in the set where the screaming got a bit too much.

They played a whole set of original numbers that were competently played and performed. Unlike most of the bands I have seen around this area, they moved! The guitarist and bassist especially seemed to put a lot of movement into their performance, giving the audience something interesting to watch.The third song they played in the set seemed to be their signature track and the first track with some normal singing on it. This had some brilliant drop outs and odd quirks in the song as well as a lot of emotion put into it. Definitely well constructed song and good use of silences for the drop out moments.

They seemed to get a small crowd up to head bang for their fourth song. And the singer even got off the stage and began to sing in front of tables to attract the crowd’s attention. A true “rock and roll moment” happened as the guitarist managed to bleed on his own guitar, no extra points for carnage though…

Once they had run through their set list they actually began to make up a couple of songs just to fill out the time at the end, not wanting end early. These were mightily done and goes to prove that a jam can go a long way.

Excellent originals and a well performed set…and great hair!

Interlude - Big hand for the security, managing to quell some guy jumping on stage to shout through the microphone before the next band got up. Really, you don’t mess with those guys…

Brian Said - Opening up with a banner on the back of the stage, Brian Said launched into their performance. Some very emotional singing and movement, kind of a cross between the Hives and the Sex Pistols at first. But as their set progressed began to develop an almost Biffy Clyro rock sound. But the aggressive singing and punk mannerisms definitely gave them some attitude on stage.

One thing I noticed was that the guitarist was singing at a weird angle, whether this was deliberate or the fact that the stand had slipped I had no idea, but it didn’t stop him from performing half bent over. Their all original set featured song familiar guitar lines and shouting vocals as well as some talented singing. Everything was really tight on stage (in terms of playing ability and set list) despite the band being really loose players, not afraid of the movement.

My only moan was that some of the songs were quite short, not giving enough time to actually enjoy the song much. But there were some memorable guitar riffs (even though I have forgotten them) and some interesting timing in their songs. Not bad from a band that travelled all the way from Colchester .

“If you don’t come to us, we’ll come to you and be warned, we haven’t had a shower in days” they shouted to the crowd, top marks for a sense of humour. Launching into their well constructed songs with memorable choruses.

Guitarist at one point played off stage and was not afraid to roll around on the floor bashing his axe. Even the bassist took time in the middle of a song to drop his instrument and dive into the small crowd that had formed. At the end of the set, to the delight of all (and shock for the sound engineer) the bassist launched himself full pelt at the drum kit, destroying most of it in a shower of cymbals and toms. Granting a huge cheer from the audience.

Well that’s all from me this week.

Jo writes:

My customary gossip with the other lifeguards as I came in this week wasn’t promising: “Bloody racket! We can hear it in here!”… but when I got in I was very pleasantly surprised. This racket personified, the frontwoman of Ophidian Zero, was actually sounding pretty lush. Now we’ve had countless arguments and counter-arguments on this website about the bands we’ve seen (and especially, it seems, screamy girls) and whether their respective set ups actually work; but for me this did. Not whiny, not ear-drilling, not even brainless – the few lyrics I picked out amongst the noise sounded quite elegant – but growly, animalistic and yes, cathartic. The musicians were dedicated and the set was well-practised; they actually looked like a bunch of mates not an artificial get-together. To its enemies, metallic screamcore is a mingin’ mix of random noise. I don’t know anyone else who likes Arch Enemy, the band that Ophidian most powerfully reminded me of. To me, however, the ferocity displayed – blended with occasional outbursts of tenderness to contrast the feminine aspect with the masculine – is really rather ace. And she didn’t even lose her voice, what a pro.

Strange! **eyes go wide and pouts** - Hannah
Does that safety pin actually go through her boob, d’ya reckon? – Craig (who later asked, and apparently it doesn’t)

And on, then, to Brian Said: I thought to myself, “Punk band. Got to be, with that sort of a name.” And unfortunately, it didn’t get any less predictable from there: ties, jumping and a lot of three chord rock. Despite their phenomenal success which I wholeheartedly salute them for, Green Day and Blink 182 have a lot to answer for. Not that it was a bad set by any means, from this three-piece: bouncy and full of hooks, dramatics from the bass player, maniacally fast drumming and general tomfoolery. Just that we’ve seen it before: with the no-brainer lyrics of “You make me feel like nothing”, it’s meant to be generic enough to touch everyone, yet somehow achieves far too little. Writing some really grabbing, forceful, insightful lyrics and then setting them to instantly memorable, simple tunes? Now there’s your cash cow. Until then, this bunch were just a bit, you know, predictable.

Majere writes:

Another fairly decent crowd tonight, though well off the records. Of course, this may have something to do with both of tonight's bands being largely unknown. Little do those arriving realise that tonight will be a battle in more ways than one...

OPHIDIAN ZERO - With a statuesque female lead singer dressed entirely in black with an exotic hairpiece, and the rest of the band sporting black gear and the paintbrush-style beard beloved of european hardcore metallers, Ophidian Zero make an immediate stage impact. Regrettably, they rather blow this by standing about doing nothing for a bit at the start of the set. With issues resolved, the band launch into their first track, D.R.A.G., which doesn't. Indeed the whole set is played at a fairly blistering pace- of which more later- with 'throated' vocals that for the most part bring to mind Arch Enemy's Angela Gossow, though there is the occasional sung section to break things up a bit.

Though this is for the most part fairly standard screamcore, there are some promising touches, the tribal beat driven 'Cannibal' being an early highlight, despite the singer needing an emergency waterbreak near the end. In a piece of precision unusual for such a new band- this is apparently their second ever performance- the whole track stops on a dime for this urgent piece of lubrication, before starting off again with similar accuracy. "Control Freak" is marked by some well-handled tempo changes, and the set is punctuated throughout by good-humoured and often self-depreciating banter, which helps keep some of the less receptive members of the audience sweet.

Indeed, having apparently decided not to use any covers for quick crowd-pleasing, it is only the entreaties of the singer that finally bring a few audience members to the front for "Sullied Butterfly", though this is apparently not enough for her, and she proceeds to head off into the hall to recruit more!Official set-closer "Diatribe" is preceded by another lengthy pause, and when the track ends it is apparent that the half-hour mark has not yet been passed. After a quick conference, the band make the brave decision to just wing it, and for almost fifteen minutes, split into two sessions, they do just that. Though unsurprisingly the vocals in this part of the set are not the best, for such a new band to manage this feat at all is worthy of comment- in fact, as the allotted time does finally come to a close it seems they'll have to be dragged off... Overall, this was certainly a set with a lot of room for improvement, but a great attitude and some good guitar and drums coupled with a distinctive frontwoman make this a memorable set if nothing else.

Majere thinks Ophidian Zero should cover: "We will Rise" (Arch Enemy)

In the spirit of investigative journalists everywhere, your correspondent tracks down Griff, bassist of Ophidian Zero, for the inside scoop on the somewhat short set. Despite having his IQ unfavourably compared with that of a slice of bread during said performance, he is able to supply that the band had, in fact, worked out a 45-minute set, which they then found themselves playing at approximately double speed! The members of Ophidian Zero retire to their table, presumably to poke their drummer with sticks, and the second band of the night take the stage..

BRIAN SAID - Three-piece alt-punks Brian Said have travelled 90 miles to play tonight, apparently narrowly avoiding an early stop in a pig-field. The question, of course, is whether they should have bothered. Right from the off the band's energy levels are sky-high, the oft-commented-on heat of the BOTB stage doing little to slow them down. "Welcome to the chaos that is Brian Said!" shouts the frontman, and he certainly means it.

Through the course of their performance, Brian Said will stand on, jump from, or fall off just about every part of the stage, and even a broken string in the very first track is simply trampled underfoot- in fact, a replacement guitar is on standby for just such an emergency. Whether Brian Said have had this problem before, or whether they just read previous reviews of Faded Theory and Old Crow is not evident, but this level of forethought, coupled with their set dressing and demo cd's, speaks of a band who are determined not to have wasted their journey.

The lead vocals have a slightly nasal sound, perhaps that of a roughly-sandpapered Brian Molko, and there is a definite hint of Green Day in the guitar. As the set wears on, the atmosphere of general on-stage bedlam contrasts sharply with the general lack of crowd reaction- a stage invader grabs the microphone at one stage and is promptly 'sacked' by security, but other than that there is precious little action in the hall. Like First Motion before them, Brian Said find this a difficult venue for punk, alternative or otherwise, and as it becomes apparent that this will not be the most triumphant of sets, the vocals start to sound a little tired, almost desperate. However, the punk spirit thrives on adversity, and towards the end of the set the band seem to get their second wind, throwing in some smooth guitar breakdowns, then dropping to one guitar so one band member, then another can hurl himself about the stage with little more than a microphone and an attitude.

Encouragement is also provided by the frontwoman of Ophidian Zero arriving with a friend to form an enthusiastic crowd of two. Eventually, as the set comes to an end, the entire band end up in an untidy heap after both guitarists hurl themselves bodily through the drumkit, bringing things to a very definite climax and possibly garnering the best cheer of the night. Indeed, it is almost a minute before order can be restored to the extent of officially announcing the end of the gig. A word to those seeking to follow this course of action though- make sure you only destroy your own gear...

So what reason, then, for the lack of crowd reaction to this one? I found that although all the material was original and in some places quite inventive, the set overall lacked a hook or a standout track to really grab the listener. Though the band tried hard to engage the audience, the sound setup made it hard to make out words clearly, a shame since those lyrics I could hear seemed well-crafted. Though this was both a solidly professional, yet suitably anarchic performance, I think Brian Said have many better performances to look forward to.

Majere thinks Brian Said should cover: "Anarchy in the UK" (Sex Pistols)

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